The Myth:

Castor oil is used as a hair and scalp moisturizer. It comes in two popular forms: dark tinted black and yellow colored. Black castor oil or “Jamaican Black Castor Oil” is typically thought to be the strongest, and more natural form.

Black Castor Oil vs. Yellow Castor Oil

Black castor oil is actually the least pure form of castor oil. Yellow castor oil is typically cold pressed, which means it is extracted from the castor bean without heat, keeping most of its natural properties in tact. Black castor oil comes from heating & cooking the castor beans then mixing in other additives to give it the dark color. So, it’s safe to say that you’re getting less of the natural benefits to your hair with black castor oil.

The Science

Natural castor oil is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids. It also has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties. However, there is no real scientific evidence suggesting that castor oil actually thickens the hair strand or makes it grow faster.

The Verdict

Weeeeeeeeell…For women suffering with Alopecia caused by traction and scarring in the scalp, applying castor oil directly on the scalp can help reduce the inflammation there, which may contribute to promoting growth and thickening the weakened strands. Maybe.

Otherwise, the answer is no. Applying castor oil to your hair will not affect the rate your hair grows or make your hair any thicker. Castor oil can make your locks shinier, more moisturized and stronger, since moisture protects the hair from the elements.

So why does it seem as if everyone and their mother using castor oil is getting longer hair faster? Chances are the same people who who use castor oil for hair growth are just likely to be doing everything right to optimize their hair growth. Everything right means: eating healthy and getting vitamins, moisturizing, using sulfate-free shampoos to prevent moisture/nutrient loss, and getting plenty of sleep and exercise.

Biotin, the myth is the newest super vitamin that’s claim to fame is that it makes your hair grow longer and stronger, faster.

What we like: Biotin is essential to cell growth, healthy hair, nails and skin. It’s a natural nutrient found in foods like salmon, almonds, Swiss chard and beverages like dark beer (woohoo!)

BUT: Ladies, before you order that keg, you should know that your hair grows at a fixed rate so chances are biotin alone will not make your hair grow faster. However, If you’re experiencing brittle nails and thinning hair there’s a chance you might be biotin deficient, and adding biotin to your diet might cut down on your hair loss.

The Verdict: Since biotin is a natural vitamin that promotes healthy hair and growth, adding a bit of biotin to your diet can’t hurt. But don’t expect to grow a foot of hair overnight. Keeping a balanced diet rich in growth promoting vitamins, in addition to getting exercise and beauty sleep are all needed to optimize your hair’s growth.

A common beauty myth out there is that foods like lemon and tea can naturally lighten your hair by themselves. Zelo has been dedicating quite a bit of time to blondes, researching the latest tips and how-tos to enhance and preserve those golden locks, and one of the biggest foux pas I’ve seen are tutorials that only require combining the incredients to the hair with a 15 min shower cap. These tutorials are missing the most important element: the sun!

Here’s a quick anecdote: A friend of mine has been volunteering in for Peace Corps in Peru for a little over a year. When she left America she had dark “dirty” blonde hair. When she came home this Christmas, she had bright, golden, ultra blonde surfer girl hair!

While we all know a year of sunlight can lighten your hair like a bottle of 40 vol developer and powder bleach combined, understanding the science behind it can save you A LOT of time and money. Simply put, Sunlight breaks down the melanin (color) in your hair.

So where does lemon juice come in? And what about chamomile tea? “Lemon juice contains citric acids that open your hair cuticles up,” (Health Mango). This makes the hair more receptive to sunlight and basically accelerates the suns natural bleaching process (oxidation), giving you months worth of sunshine in about 30 minutes.

This is why natural bleaching methods don’t work without sunshine. They’re accelerating what the sun does naturally. BUT, lemon is really bad for your hair and terrible for the skin in the sun. So if you’re planning on having a lemon sun bath, PLEASE, for goodness sake, deep condition and make sure you don’t get ANY on your scalp and skin. Can you say blisters, sunburns, and dark spots? Not cute at all.

Last tip: Squeeze your own natural lemon juice for best results. If lemon juice gives you patchy or overly bright results, try 100% brewed chamomile tea which has been known to give a more natural, all over, lightening affect.

Since Zelo’s airing on HSN this monday, ladies of color have been asking us one thing: “That girl doing her Happy Dance and whipping her hair back and forth, how do I get that?”

No doubt, keratin has been one of the best kept secrets for African American hair, and with that comes a lot of questions. Is it like a relaxer? Is it permanent? What will it do for my natural, afro, relaxed, mixed, curly, or kinky texture? As an African American myself who is transitioning from relaxed to natural and also has about 5 different textures of hair on her head (lol), I’m going to do my best to address these question/concerns right now. (more…)

You are all set to party but you look in to the mirror and realize your hair is just a tad bit oily even though you washed your hair this morning. Definitely frustrating! Oily hair is not only an issue for you but also a problem for millions of women.

Here are some home concoctions that can be an effective solution for oily hair. Try these and soon enough you can say goodbye to oily and hello silky!

Lemons for Luscious Locks!: Yes it’s true, lemons have the right kind of magical properties that can do wonders for your hair. Squeeze two lemons into two cups of water and after having washed and towel-dried your hair, massaging into your scalp and rinse after 5 minutes.

Egg Yolk with Lemon: This can be a magical potient to make your hair feel and look silky. Mix two egg yolks with a few lemon drops and apply to your hair. Rinse after a few minutes.

Alluring Hair with Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera is in many shampoos, however, maybe not in the quantity to make a difference. Add Aloe Vera to a sulfate free shampoo to get the best results.

These amazingly simple remedies can lead to a refreshingly surprise. Not only is your hair bound to become less prone to oil, but will no longer look lifeless, limp or dull. So what are you waiting for? Get started!

Many African Americans have pulled, tugged, braided, weaved, relaxed, texturized and hot combed their hair since they were in kindergarten, maybe even before then. Our hair was tugged into tight braids until it reached that kinky turning point when our mom’s threw in the towel and broke out the Just For Me. And for all those years our hair was resilient and silently took the abuse. But now…why does it suddenly seem as if our hair has been reading self help books? May of us have woken up to find that our strong resilient hair has packed it’s bags and taken the kids with it. (more…)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year not for the obvious family, magnificent feasts and black Friday deals (trust me I take advantage of it all), but for the one day dedicated to giving thanks and being grateful for our many blessings. Gratitude leads us all to abundance and a greater purpose. Thanksgiving also marks the start of the holidays and as a result we begin a new holiday series.

As part of our culture diversity and Zelo’s expansion into so many countries we kick-off a new series over the holidays. We are so fortunate to have an amazing team around the world willing to share their insights and point of view. So here’s how it works, Zelo correspondents (men or women) from around the world will contribute information on a woman’s perspective of beauty in their home country (or country where they are residing). They will share what makes a woman feel good about herself in other parts of the world, i.e. what priority is given to their looks (hair of course is of the most interest) but makeup, fashion, etc.is also welcome.

We hope that you too will chime in and give us your impressions, support and advice as we go on this global journey together.

We’re so excited to be able to put this together on the Daily Frizz and we hope you will find it interesting, useful and hope you will share with your friends, family and readers.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Elenor Roosevelt